Hundreds protest Trump, Musk in Presidents Day demonstrations across SLO County
Hundreds of San Luis Obispo County residents turned out to show their opposition to the policies of the second Trump administration in multiple demonstrations Monday afternoon.
Standing along Los Osos Valley Road near Highway 101, demonstrators waved signs and chanted, proclaiming resistance to far-right policies and figures including Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency.
The protests were held on Presidents Day as a show that concerned citizens would not stand by or stand behind the policies of the new Trump administration, event organizer Andy Unruh said. They were part of widescale demonstrations held nationwide.
Joined by additional protests in Paso Robles, Los Osos and Grover Beach on Monday planned by the political action group Indivisible, the protest in San Luis Obispo drew around 500 attendees in total, Unruh said.
“Everybody here has their own things that they’re concerned with, but in a way, we’re all concerned with one major thing: Just stop the madness,” Unruh said. “For some people, they may even agree with some of the goals of the Trump administration, but they’re going too fast, and they’re going about it haphazardly.”
‘No effort to unite us’: protesters oppose Trump, Musk
Taking up signs just down the street from the Tesla dealership on Calle Joaquin, many protesters said Musk’s growing role in the slashing of many government programs and policy direction of the United States represents a descent into fascism and oligarchy.
San Luis Obispo resident David Riester said he was concerned about the rhetoric used by Trump and Musk, and said their words echoed authoritarian regimes of the past.
“I think that we’re on the path to Nazism — we’re on the path to identifying people that we’re supposed to hate,” Riester said. “I mean, just start with transgenderism, for example — what’s next? There is no effort to unite us.”
San Luis Obispo resident and retired U.S. Air Force Master Chief Nolan Meeks said he was worried about the long-term stability of the United States’ institutions and social safety nets.
Meeks, who is on Medicare and relies on his Air Force and Transportation Security Administration retirement income, said its only a matter of time before cuts start affecting services he needs.
“The country is less safe,” Meeks said. “(Trump’s) impacting a lot of people who are working and even people who retire.”
San Luis Obispo resident and Coast Guard veteran Don Gerbacht said he sees standing up against a fascist government as a responsibility as an American citizen.
“We’re in the middle of a coup that’s illegal,” Gerbacht said. “The legal system is not very competent or fast enough to meet the need against illegal actions.”
Gerbacht said Musk is a “loose cannon” whose policies will affect everyday Americans.
“If you have what used to be American values, you’ve got to say no. You got to stand up,” Gerbacht said.
How many people turned out?
Unruh said among the four protests, around a thousand people in total made their voices heard.
He estimated around 500 people attended the San Luis Obispo protest, while the Paso Robles, Los Osos and Grover Beach demonstrations likely drew at least 200 people each.
In Los Osos, the crowd filled all four corners of the intersection of Los Osos Valley Road and South Bay Boulevard.
Passing cars and trucks honked in support, to the cheers of the gathered demonstrators.
“I would guess about 500 here, or in Donald Trump terms, that would be 5,000,” Unruh joked.
Unruh said he was concerned that Trump’s second term would only benefit the rich and powerful, while most people’s lives would worsen.
“I think what they’re going to do is they’re going to make the country better for a very, very tiny — and we’re not talking 1% we’re talking 0.01% — (portion) of the country, (which) is going to do significantly better under them, and that 99.99% of the country are going to suffer,” Unruh said.
John Lindt, editor of the Sierra2theSea.net news website, contributed to this report.
This story was originally published February 17, 2025 at 2:44 PM.
